Improvement in corsets



@ALW

Inventar Patented Oct. 2, 1877.

CORSETS.

S.B.FERR1S.

N.FE|'ERS, PHDTO-LITMOGRAPHB?, WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITEI) STATES PATENT Orrrenu SHERWOOD B. FERRIS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORSETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,755, dated October 2, 1877; application tiled v September 8, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Snnnwoon B. Fnnnrs, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State ot' New York, have invented a new and Improved Corset, of which the following is a speciiication:

Figure l is a front View of my improved corset. Fig. 2 is an inner side View ofthe same; Fig. 3, a bottom View of the portion represented in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an outer side'view of a part of said corset; Fig. 5, an edge view of this part, showing the `upper portion of the bosom-pad folded in. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are face views of the improved hook used on the corset, and showing modifications in the form of the same. Figs. 10, 11, l2, and 13 are crosssections of the hooks shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9, respectively. Fig. 14 is a detail crosssection of the frontof the corset.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in all the gures.

This invention relates to several improvements in corsets, and in the devices for open ing and closing the fsame, all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the first place I propose to employ, in place of the clasps which are usually used in corsets for closing them in front, a hook ot' peculiar construction, which hook is more fully represented in Figs. 6 to 13.

The letter A represents' this hook. The same is made of wire, sheet metal, or other material. Its distinguishing characteristics are an obliquely-placed beak, a, and a handle, b. The beak e is oblique to the shank d of the hook, as clearly indicated in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 by the dotted lines in said figures; and the handle b is attached to the shank, preferably at or near the angle where the beak meets the shank, as in Figs. 6 and 7. But the handle may also be attached to any other part of the shank, as in Figs. 8 and 9. This hook is secured in a suitable manner, but preferably by an eye formed at the end of the shank in an eyelet of the corset. It is used by introducing its beak through another eyelet in an opposite flap of the corset, and in `bringing the handle flush against such flap. This causes the beak to be beneath the two iiaps, as indicated in the drawing, and oblique to the shank.

It will be seen that this hook draws the flaps 0f the corset closer and closer together until the beak has been properly placed, and holds them properly connected and in their most close position, while all other fastenings heretofore used allow the tlaps or parts that are connected by a hook to separate again, toa certain extent, after the hook has been closed. The improved hook may be either doublethat is, with a double beak, as in Figs. 6, 7, and 9-or it may be single, with a pointed beak, as in Fig. S, in which case it may be used to pierce its opening through the flap to be closed. lt is evident that this hook may be used t'or other purposes than on corsets, although it is peculiarly adapted for use on corsets.

The letter B in Figs. 2 and 3 represents a" separate piece or section ot' fabric, which is inserted between two pieces, C land D, of the corset, and which, at or about its center, has a projecting rib, e, placed at right angles to the body oi' said piece B, as shown in Fig. 3. Through this rib the lacing j', for seeming the separate piece B to and between the pieces C l), is drawn, and also, of course, through eyelets in said parts O and D. By this arrangement of the rib e it becomes very convenient to insert a piece or section in the corset, and secure it by the lacing, which extends from the central rib to the sides ot' the opening in the corset.

Such piece B may be the whole length of the corset, as in Fig. 2, or part of the length, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, and may be used at the bottom or top of the corset, at the bust or hip, or between the bottom and top to less than the entire extent of the corset, when desired.

The bosom-pad E of the corset is made hemispherical, the upper half projecting above the edge ofthe corset, as clearly shown on the righthand side of Fig. l andin Fig. 4. The pad is distended by a spring, F, of which the lower end is inserted in a pocket, g, that is formed at the lower part of the inner side of said bosom-pad. At its upper end the spring F is, by a hook or catch., h, secured to the upper part of said bosom-pad. The spring F has also, by preference, a cross-spring, i', attached to it, as shown, to distend the bosom-pad laterally.

By unhooking the upper end of the spring F, and pithdrawing its lower end from the pocket g, the spring may be entirely removed to allow the upper half of the bosom-pad to 15er/ folded inward, as in Fig. 5, and thus enable the wearer to use the corset either vnth the full pad or Without the upper projecting bosompad.

j is a gore-piece, which is stitched over an opening formed in the lower part of the bosompad. This gore piece or tlap is not observed, nor in any Way loose while the corset is in its ordinary condition; but when it is desired to use the corset as aYnursing-eorset the upper and outer edges of the gore-piece j are ripped open, and said gore-piece constitutes thereupon a flap for closing or opening the aperture left in the corset, as already stated.

A hook, k, which is concealed in the corner of the gore-piece j, while the same is stitched fast, as stated, is also, by ripping the said piece open, exposed to view, and serves to hold the gore-piece closed on the nursing-corset, when desired.

The front of the corset is made without the usual springs in the aps that contain the eye lets or clasps l m, (see Fig. 14,) and has a Wide spring, G, placed underthese flexible tlaps. The springs n, if used are placed in pockets that are at a distance 'rom the eyelets or clasps l m.

The object of this arrangement is to provide the open front of the corset with an adequate support in front, and with fastening devices which will not interfere with the stilfening devices, so that the stiening devices or springs may be readily removed for Washin g, or, when broken, Without interfering with the position of the fastening devices, which are entirely independent of the stiffenings, as heretofore specified.

The clasps or devices for clasping the corset were heretofore invariably secured to the front springs, and when these had to be removed the corset was ripped to allow the removal also of these fastenings. This inconvenience is avoided by means of this invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. The hook A, made with the handle b, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, in the hook A, of the oblique beak a, shank d, and handle b, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The separate piece or section B of the corset, said section having the projecting rib e, to be laced into an opening of the corset, substantially as specified.

4. The spring F, combined with the pocket g and fastening device h, and with the bosompad E, substantially as herein shown and described. i

5. The combination of the stitched gorepiece j with the concealed hook K, and with a bosom-pad which has an opening beneath said gore, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the wide spring G with the flexible flaps l m, which contain the clasps or fastening devices of the corset., and with a spring or springs, n, placed at a distance, and disconnected from said fastening devices, substantially as specified.

SHERWOD B. FERRI S.

Witnesses:

ERNEs'l C. WEBB, F. v. BRIESEN. 

